What Might Have Been Expected

The narrative follows siblings Harry and Kate, who, alarmed that their elderly friend Aunt Matilda faces the alms-house, decide to adopt and support her and set up a business venture to provide for her. A sequence of episodes mixes rural adventures—hunting mishaps, a boat incident, and woodland pursuits—with humor and practical meetings as the children recruit associates, form a company, construct a line, and handle telegrams, profits, and boardroom disputes. Subplots involve cousins, a dramatic meeting on the road, and moments of danger including a girl with a gun; the story concludes by resolving the children's plans for Aunt Matilda and the enterprises they launched.